Are cheap helmets dangerous? Are expensive helmets safer? 🤔︱Cross Training Adventure

Are cheap helmets dangerous? Are expensive helmets safer? Time for some myth busting! Will expensive helmets provide you with better protection? Maybe. Can cheap helmets still provide good protection? In most cases, yes. A few years ago, we did a video that discussed the old saying "If you have a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet." Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. This came from a very successful ad campaign from Bell helmets. I'm really interested in helmets. I was editor of Australia's national brain injury magazine. I have seen firsthand the lifelong effects of a brain injury with friends who crashed hard. I've trawled through all the helmet standards and done videos about them. I've had deep discussions with Australia's leading helmet specialists. I am currently looking at a new adventure helmet and might only spend AUD150. That's about US$100. Why? As a rough rule of thumb, you do get a better quality helmet as you spend more. Recently Bell said "This is a motto that Bell has believed in for decades and it still rings true to this day". It's ironic because all of Bell's helmets are now made in China and they have a strong focus on very cheap helmets! And viewers sent me photos of their heavily rusted helmets. Perhaps Bell now believes most of us have $10 heads. It may be better ventilated. More comfort. The resins, adhesives, cheekpads and inner liner may last longer. There could be replaceable cheek pads and inner liners to extend the lifespan of the helmet. It could be quieter and lighter. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. But the big question? Is it safer? The critical part of the helmet is the EPS liner. There are only a few factories in the world producing these under extremely strict standards. If your helmet meets a respectable standard then you will be safe - even with budget helmets. Years ago the brackets were corroding and failing on Airoh's most expensive helmets. In some cases the rust was starting after only 10 hours of use! Airoh's response? You should replace your helmet every two years so it doesn't matter if your strap falls off around that time. The same failure happened on Suomy helmets. One our riders had his strap fall off at the three year mark. I did a video about this and many riders around the world said their brackets were heavily rusted too. Then reports came in about other brands. Bell. Leatt. Fly. Oneal. Acerbis. And the really good news? The European helmet standard, ECE 22:06 is generally regarded as the best and many helmets around the world now comply with it. It is vastly better than the antiquated DOT standard in the USA. See our video about helmet standards. Over the years I have been shocked at the terrible quality of allegedly good brands. Just1. Kali. Jitsie. M2R. Progrip. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. LS2. Fox. The good news? I did videos about some of these cases and challenged the brands about this issue. They appear to have all changed to marine-grade stainless steel since then. Earlier I said you generally get better quality fittings on more expensive helmets. The result? Helmets between $20 to $30 that were very close to the international standards. They agree that a cheap helmet complying with a decent standard will protect your head well. What do independent tests say? Sharp is a British test of road helmets that found only a small correlation between price and protection. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. But there was a lot of variation, and sometimes the cheap helmets had better protection according to their criteria. But this isn't always true either. A few of our guys use Airoh helmets for enduro riding and the inner liners deteriorate much faster than the cheaper helmets we've used. And Airoh charges a fortune for replacement cheek pads and liners. I'm really not impressed with the brand! I discussed helmet safety versus price with leading specialists in Australia. They were involved in helping a southeast Asian country develop affordable helmets for families in poverty. Another independent test in Australia assessed dirt bike helmets and in some cases cheap Chinese made brands are matching the Japanese made Shoei which costs four times more. Again though, there is a rough correlation between price and protection. But it looks as though you can get good protection at a budget price if you do your research. There is more good news. Arguably the biggest advance in recent years is the variable density liner. The EPS liner is designed to absorb not only life threatening impacts, but also milder ones that could still cause a brain injury. Only the expensive helmets used to have this. Today? Even this $150 Acerbis helmet has it. #crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding #dualsportbikes